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Louisiana Woman Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison for $206,000 Deceased Payee Fraud

April 15, 2015

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Louisiana:

MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Monroe woman was sentenced Monday to 24 months in prison for stealing more than $200,000 in Social Security benefit payments.

Cassandra D. Ellis, 53, of Monroe, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James on one count of theft of government funds. She was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $206,325 restitution. According to evidence presented at the January 21, 2015 guilty plea, from February 1996 to April 2014, Ellis deposited and used her deceased grandmother’s Social Security benefit checks, to which she was not entitled. She also led Social Security officials to believe her grandmother was alive in order to continue receiving the checks. The total amount taken was $206,325.

The Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Reeg prosecuted the case.

MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Monroe woman was sentenced Monday to 24 months in prison for stealing more than $200,000 in Social Security benefit payments.

Cassandra D. Ellis, 53, of Monroe, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James on one count of theft of government funds. She was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $206,325 restitution. According to evidence presented at the January 21, 2015 guilty plea, from February 1996 to April 2014, Ellis deposited and used her deceased grandmother’s Social Security benefit checks, to which she was not entitled. She also led Social Security officials to believe her grandmother was alive in order to continue receiving the checks. The total amount taken was $206,325.

The Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Reeg prosecuted the case.

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